


Confined Space

by Godsliltippy



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Can't breathe, Gen, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:20:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24289582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Godsliltippy/pseuds/Godsliltippy
Summary: Gordon and Virgil are sent to rescue a group from a structure collapse. Luck doesn't seem to be on their side as a new hazard presents itself mid-rescue.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	Confined Space

"John?" Virgil groaned into the comm as they made it to the thirty minute mark. His brother didn't respond - not immediately - and the engineer wasn't surprised when he received the short answer.

"Fifteen," the astronaut's voice was strained with his complicated task. 

"C'mon, Virg -" the bright call from Gordon who lay on his stomach in front of him seemed to only add to his irritation. "It can't be that much further."

'It' was the entrance to a observation center that had been built into a mountain - only that mountain had collapsed partially. Their job was to find a way to the entrance and clear it in order to release those trapped inside. What they hadn't counted on was how narrow that path would be.

Helmets were gone - too large for the space they were crawling through. Virgil had been forced to follow his brother as he placed spacers in the gaps, the smaller form having an easier time negotiating his way into the path. In all, it was slow going and possibly one of the engineer's least favorite rescues. It also didn't help that they had limited communications with Alan and John, who were on their own mission to redirect a rogue spacecraft. 

A grunt from ahead and Virgil refocused on Gordon as he pushed his way through the new opening. He followed, happy to make it another six feet before having to stop as the next section was expanded. The structure seemed to shriek at the adjustments, forcing the elder to hold in a breath until the metal and stone calmed.

"Man, that's unsettling," Gordon laughed nervously before reaching back. "Hand me another spacer."

Finally allowing the intake of oxygen, Virgil retrieved one of the many devices strapped to his belt. Something acrid caught in his throat and he coughed as he passed the piece up. When another cough didn't clear it, he couldn't stop the complaint, "Do you smell that?"

A rasped hack answered before he could finish the question, Gordon offering a short "yes" once his lungs started to cooperate.

"Crap, think we might be dealing with a leak now," which meant they needed to hurry. Going back wasn't an option if it meant leaving the people trapped with a potentially harmful gas. 

"Nothin' like motivation," his brother activated the spacer, already wriggling farther in before it had finished widening the area for the broader man. It was dangerous, but so was staying put to breathe in whatever had been held in the facility. 

Virgil tried to keep his intake shallow as he crawled forward, double-checking the supports as he went. John's fifteen minutes was blaring in his mind and he couldn't help hoping the estimation was wrong. Knowing his genius brother, the likelyhood of that was slim to none. 

Hopefully, the trip out would be much faster.

OoOoOoO

Even after reducing his respirations, Gordon could still feel the irritation of the chemicals as he placed the final spacer and lifted the sheet of metal away from the door, his head spinning. They had confirmed that the group was on the other side, waiting patiently for international rescue to save the day and he was grateful to hear the gas leak hadn't affected their area as much. 

The bad part had yet to catch in his mind, Gordon too focused on simply getting them through the collapsed hall. Now that they were about to open the door, he realized the trip back could be hampered if the group couldn't get out before their lungs were too compromised. 

A glance back over his shoulder and he caught a glimpse of Virgil shaking his head against the growing disorientation, "Hey - gonna open the door. We gotta move fast."

"FAB," their eyes met and it was clear they would do what they had to in order to save the victims.

A loud scrape of metal on stone and he had the warped door pushed aside and they could see the ashen faces of the scared individuals in the low light of their belt lights. Gordon took in a tentative breath, relieved to meet the dust laden air versus the chemicals of the tunnel. 

"Is anyone injured?" He wheezed and was rewarded with one of the women pointing to a man leaning against the wall. At first glance, there didn't seem to be anything wrong, but then, the odd angle of his leg was noted as the aquanaut crouched by his side. "Alright, I'll get this set. Everyone else, I need you to follow Virgil back through the tunnel." Another glance to his older brother who had remained in their escape route, hand out to beckon the group towards him, and the urgency increased. 

Training took charge as Gordon pulled out the splint from his belt, carefully placing it around the broken leg. He gave the man an apologetic smile which might have been a bit strained with the way his vision blurred for a moment, " I'm not gonna lie, this isn't going to feel great."

"As long as we get outta here, I'm fine," a nervous laugh that Gordon could appreciate gave him the permission he needed to pull the man away from the wall and towards the door. 

Virgil was already gone, leading the group down the treacherous path. That thought snagged and the aquanaut tapped at his icon, "Gordon to base."

"Go ahead, Gordon," Grandma's voice came through, the elder woman sitting at the desk to observe all her grandchildren out on rescues. There was only one he needed to know about. 

"Any idea when Scott's gonna be done?" Big brother had responded to a sinkhole that had trapped a car and it's passenger, Thunderbird 1 being the fastest to get to them. Now, Gordon really needed his brother here to deal with the next issue if they couldn't get everyone into Thunderbird 2 in time.

"He's still on site, but the chatter from his feed is showing mission complete." A knowing concern crept into her voice, "Need me to patch him through?" 

"Please," it probably didn't help that he sounded out of breath as he continued to drag his charge into the hole. 

"Thunderbird 1, here," Scott came through loud and clear. "What's the situation?"

"Extracting the group, but we've got a gas leak," now that he was crawling backwards through the chemical filled tunnel, the burn was growing with each breath. "Gonna need backup."

"FAB, on my way to your location now," years of tormenting Scott with worry had left Gordon expecting the tension in his brother's voice. He couldn't really help it if trouble just seemed to find him wherever he went. Unfortunately, this time included Virgil. 

Speaking of - 

With their commander on his way, the blonde had a moment to wonder how his co-pilot was doing. Better to ask than assume, "Virg, status."

A stretch of silence save for the drag of fabric over the stone and metal, and then a haggard call, "Almost half way -" a cough that made his own lungs ache, "shouldn't be much longer."

"FAB, Scott's en route," might as well give him the good news.

"Good call, gonna need him." They fell into radio silence after that, desperate to conserve air as much as possible. The sound of their charges gasping and wheezing was disheartening enough, but as they passed the entryway and into the bright afternoon sun, Gordon felt his spirits lift. 

Until the world decided to tilt and the headache that had been building screamed for relief. He was aware of the people around him, gasping while some retched over the ground they lay on. 

Not good… the thought wriggled through the pain in his head and throat and he tried to look farther towards the big green ship to see Virgil attempting to stumble back, hands laden with respirators. A misstep and the raven-haired man fell to his knees, a hand catching himself before he could land on his face. 

Gordon wanted to help, but his legs weren't working anymore, barely shifting over the dirt as he tried to crawl to his brother. Even in the fresh air, every breath felt like fire and he could see the pained concentration on his older brother's face as he fought to get back up. They needed help - now.

C'mon Scott… where are you? Fingers found his icon on his belt and he hit it, not sure what to say against the damage in his throat, but before he got a chance, Scott's voice crackled through it.

"On approach to land," the sound of VTOL cut across the ragged intakes around him and Gordon looked up just in time to see Thunderbird 1 descend onto the flattened cliff top. Scott was out a few seconds later, running to Virgil and the masks. Leave it to Virgil to want to ensure they had enough for the survivors, pushing the offered one away for their brother to give to the closest individual.

With what Gordon assumed was a grunt of frustration, Scott made it to the woman laying a few yards away, adjusting the mask over her face and instructing her to breath slow and steady. The task was repeated for the rest of the group until only one mask remained - and two brothers he could give it to. 

"Dammit, gonna have to grab one of your helmets," Scott hissed as he dropped by the aquanaut's side. 

Without hesitation, Gordon pushed the offered mask away, "Give - t' Virg. Needs it more." For emphasis, he pointed to the engineer who lay unmoving on the ground. Scott didn't need any more prompting as he ran back to the figure and shoved the last mask over their brother's face. Gordon strained to see the slow rise and fall of his co-pilot's chest, but his head was pounding with the foreign agent in his system and he had to close his eyes against the ache. 

It had only felt like seconds went by as his forehead pressed into the warm stone, but then he felt himself being lifted, eyes refusing to open even as something slid over his head. Breathing still hurt and Gordon couldn't stop the harsh cough that left him slumped against the figure behind him. 

"Slow breaths, Gordon," Scott's voice was loud through the helmet's comm, but urged the aquanaut to relax. Breath in. Breathe out. In and out. He missed what his brother was saying as he tried to focus, the hard ground returning as his head continued to spin. 

His brother was gone for a while after that and later he would learn it was to get everyone on board Thunderbird 2 for transport, but at the time, he was more focused on getting each breath in with as little pain as possible. So much for a straightforward rescue.

"Alright, Squirt," Scott was back, pulling an arm up to loop over his shoulder. "Let's get you up."

Helping wasn't happening. Gordon's legs buckled as they stood and the grip around his waist tightened to keep him from crashing back to the ground. The apology came out as a rasped cough.

"Easy, I've got you," the world shifted as Scott pulled him over his shoulder. The position hurt, but the trip was over a moment later as his brother lowered him to the module floor. "You two, don't move." 

That was one order Gordon had no problem following, letting his eyes peel open to find Virgil sitting next to him. The engineer looked just as ragged as he felt. That didn't stop him from slipping the few inches to lean against the broad shoulders, feeling the larger figure do the same. 

They were aware of the large 'bird rumbling to life and lifting towards their next location. A hospital seemed obvious, but Gordon's head hurt too much to think about it. Instead, he focused on the intake of the brother beside him, Virgil's wheezing harsh and wet. They were in for a rough recovery, but for the moment they were alive. 

OoOoOoO

Anhydrous ammonia. Currently, it was Virgil's least favorite chemical regardless of its usefulness.

A quick visit to the hospital to drop off their charges and then it was straight home for breathing treatments. There was little else they could do, but it was something and the medication was already taking the edge off his raw throat. His chest still ached every time he breathed, however, making bed rest the only option.

'Bed rest' also included the couch in the lounge and both brothers were currently sprawled across their own cushion, watching a movie. It was a welcome change to their fast-paced schedules that didn't leave a whole lot of room for down time. Too bad this only happened when someone was injured. 

Footsteps echoed from the stairs leading to the kitchen and a blonde mop of hair appeared, Alan managing three glasses that held the milkshakes they had requested. A quick hand sign and Virgil accepted the concoction that would ease the other aches in his throat. 

"Hope you guys like it," the teen prompted as he handed Gordon one before flopping down at his immediate older brother's feet. The movie restarted and the room was filled with the sounds of a hectic battle between good and evil.

Virgil took a tentative sip of his drink, the action irritating the back of his throat before the cool could hit it. The flavor hit first and his face twisted in shocked disgust. The milkshake was a deceptive pink, but tasted of tropical punch. Something thick stuck to his tongue that wasn't natural in a milk and ice cream mixture and he couldn't place it. 

A glance up to Gordon awarded him the same expression, Alan intent on the movie as he sipped on his drink. 

[What is this?] The elder signed.

[Fruit powder and cereal] Gordon answered as he took another sip. 

Cereal? Virgil went through what options they had in the pantry and couldn't imagine which one would go well in a milkshake. Deciding to give it another shot, he took a sip, a little less surprised by the flavor and texture. On second visit, it wasn't as bad as he'd initially thought, but it certainly wasn't the chocolate or strawberry he would've preferred. 

[You had this before?] He asked, the movie slightly forgotten.

Gordon nodded, pointing to his arm and the opposite knee. Understanding hit a second later and Virgil suddenly felt the sting of guilt. Where he had been there to help his brother around the house after his accident, he hadn't been too present to help with food. His little brother had been subjected to most of Grandma's cooking and, it seemed, an occasional milkshake from Alan. 

With another sip, Virgil resigned himself to the too sweet, too chunky mixture, signing a quick apology that Gordon waved off. This was just part of being a Tracy. They excelled on the field, designing rescue equipment, piloting ships, but stick them in a kitchen and it was a risk they had to face on a daily basis. 

"Man, this is kinda gross," Alan finally registered what he was putting in his body, oblivious to the conversation that had been happening around him. Virgil almost laughed, catching the amused look on his second youngest brother's face. "You guys don't have to drink it."

Gordon just shrugged, continuing to drink the shake and the engineer felt the desire to do the same. With a quick motion of his hand, he offered an appreciative smile to Alan.

[It's fine.]

That was apparently all the teen needed to hunker back into the couch, pleased to have helped his big brothers. Without another word, the trio turned their attention to the movie and an enjoyable break from non-stop rescues. They would focus on the one other thing they were good at - supporting each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Weeee I can't leave these boys alone for a minute!
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed this!


End file.
